SA suffers from ‘abnormally, out-of-control violent crime… yet the President does not know about the existence of the missing 2006 report?’

by George Annandale

2010-05-07 “Ironic that the combatants in the Gauteng Leadership struggle should complain about reports gathering dust and only being used when politically expedient. I thought that was standard practice in the ANC Alliance and ANC government at all levels. Nevertheless, it does raise the question of the whereabouts of the report on the investigation of the causes of violent crime, commissioned by Thabo Mbeki and Charles Nqakula in 2006.

The report was apparently completed two years ago at - or just before - Mthethwa became Minister of Police. That this report, in the face of a rising - in number, intensity and brutality - tide of violent crime in South African society, is kept under wraps boggles the mind.

One can only wonder about the silence and the motivation for the silence.It is rather obvious to some; the manner and extent to which the Department of Safety use the World Cup, the polemic over the militarisation of the police and other red herrings to divert attention away from the violence besetting our society.The minister’s emphatic declaration that the violence we have to endure is entirely attributable to criminal intent sounds hollow. What is clear is an obvious intent to conceal the said report – to keep the horrible truth as far as possible from the eye of the general public.

The ease in which the parliamentary opposition is led by the nose on this matter boggles the mind. Any questions about the whereabouts and contents of the report is played down, brushed-off and circumvented by the initiation of discussions and debate on other matters of national importance - the necessity for blue light convoys and expensive accommodation for the Minister. The opposition, whether by accident or design, fall for the decoy every time, making me wonder whether they know something we don’t; are the perhaps deliberately and expediently part of the ploy to keep the document out of the public domain?

More surprising is the silence of the media. With a few exceptions the media has asked few questions about this report. In the latest attempt to comprehend the intentions of government, Jacob Zuma was recently questioned by a journalist about the whereabouts of the report. His reaction; “What report”. If this does not raise some eyebrows, I do not know what will.

In a country where one of the biggest problems – note not a challenge; a problem – is the abnormally, out-of-control level of violent crime, the President, to busy tending to “cultural matters” does not know about the existence of such a report. The identified causes of the murders and barbaric killings are not cause enough for anyone in the ANC government, especially the Minister of Police and the President to say; “Let us look at this report”

It seems to me the contents of the said report is so explosive that the Government has thrown a veil of secrecy over it and even the ANC’s top order, normally leaking like a broken faucet, has totally dried up. With all the other “Challenges”, and a steady stream of scandal and intrigue flowing forth from Luthuli house, the Union Buildings and the Big Top down in Cape Town. The media and opposition are kept occupied and the report remains in its secret hiding place. http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/YourStory/The-missing-violent-crime-report-20100507